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Michael Mullen
|died= |placeofbirth= Los Angeles, California |placeofdeath= |placeofburial= |placeofburial_label= Place of burial |image= |caption= Admiral Michael Mullen, USN 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |nickname= Mike |allegiance= |branch= United States Navy |serviceyears= 1968-present |rank= Admiral |commands= Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chief of Naval Operations U.S. Naval Forces Europe Allied Joint Force Command Naples Vice Chief of Naval Operations U.S. Second Fleet NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two George Washington Battle Group [[USS Yorktown (CG-48)|USS Yorktown (CG-48)]] [[USS Goldsborough (DDG-20)|USS Goldsborough (DDG-20)]] [[USS Noxubee (AOG-56)|USS Noxubee (AOG-56)]] |unit= |battles= Vietnam War |awards= Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal (2) Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (6) |laterwork= }} Admiral Michael Glenn "Mike" Mullen, USN (born October 4 1946), is the 17th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). Mullen previously served as the Navy's 28th Chief of Naval Operations from July 22, 2005 to September 29, 2007. His other four-star assignments include being the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples from October 2004 to May 2005, and as the 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 2003 to August 2004. As the CJCS, Mullen is the highest ranking officer in the United States armed forces. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode10/usc_sec_10_00000152----000-.html 10 USC 152. Chairman: appointment; grade and rank Admiral Mullen assumed his current assignment on October 1, 2007. Biography Captain Gregory Ambrosia the Silver Star]] Born in Los Angeles, California, graduate of Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, a graduate of Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks) in 1964, and also a 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Mullen has served in a wide range of assignments at sea and ashore, in Allied, Joint and Navy positions, overseas and in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Fleets. As a junior officer, he served in various leadership positions aboard [[USS Collett (DD-730)|USS Collett (DD-730)]], [[USS Blandy (DD-943)|USS Blandy (DD-943)]], [[USS Fox (CG-33)|USS Fox (CG-33)]] and [[USS Sterett (CG-31)|USS Sterrett (CG-31)]]. He has commanded three ships: the gasoline tanker [[USS Noxubee (AOG-56)|USS Noxubee (AOG-56)]], the guided missile destroyer [[USS Goldsborough (DDG-20)|USS Goldsborough (DDG-20)]], and the guided missile cruiser [[USS Yorktown (CG-48)|USS Yorktown (CG-48)]]; and has also commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group Two and the ''George Washington'' Battle Group. Mullen’s last command at sea was as Commander, U.S. Second Fleet/Commander, NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic (COMSTRIKFLTLANT). Ashore, Adm. Mullen served as Company Officer and Executive Assistant to the Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. He also served in the Bureau of Naval Personnel as Director, Chief of Planning and Provisions, Surface Officer Distribution and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the staff of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. On the Chief of Naval Operations' staff, Adm. Mullen served as Deputy Director and Director of Surface Warfare and as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements, and Assessments (N8). He was the 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 2003 to October 2004. He was recognized by his peers in 1987 with the Vice Admiral Stockdale leadership award for leadership skill. He is one of 53 naval officers to be recognized by this award since its inception in 1980. Admiral Mullen did not directly fight in Vietnam, and has never been in direct combat. In 1985, Mullen graduated from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., with a Master of Science degree in Operations Research, and in 1991, he completed the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program. As Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, Mullen had operational responsibility for NATO missions in the Balkans, Iraq, and the Mediterranean. As Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe, he was responsible for providing overall command, operational control, and coordination of U.S. naval forces in the European Command area of responsibility. He assumed these duties on 8 October 2004 and was relieved of them upon his becoming Chief of Naval Operations. On 29 October 2006, the Honolulu Advertiser published an editoral by Admiral Mullen that defined the concept of the 1,000-ship navy.COMMENTARY:We Can't Do It Alone Admiral Mullen has a wife, Deborah, and two sons, LTs Michael and John Mullen. Quotations Donald Winter and former MCPON Terry D. Scott]] *"This is the sort of advice and counsel you might find yourself delivering one day to a future President or Secretary of Defense. When you do, make sure it your best, most independent military opinion—neither constrained nor contaminated by personal politics. Part of the deal we made when we joined up was to willingly subordinate our individual interests to the greater good of protecting national interests. The military as an institution must remain a neutral instrument of the state, no matter which party holds sway. We give our best advice beforehand. If it's followed, great. If it's not, we have only two choices. Obey the orders we have been given, carrying them out with the professionalism and loyalty they deserve or vote with our feet. That's it. We don't get to debate those orders after the fact. We don't get to say, "Well, it's not how I would have done it," or "If only they had listened to ME." Too late at that point … and too cowardly. Few things are more damaging to our democracy than a military officer who doesn't have the moral courage to stand up for what's right or the moral fiber to step aside when circumstances dictate." (USNA Commencement Address, 23 May 2008 in Annapolis, MD)Admiral Michael G. Mullen, CJCS. http://www.jcs.mil/chairman/speeches/USNACommencementAddress2008.html, CJCS. *"There is, I am convinced, a sea of goodwill out in the country of people and places yearning to help. We need to tap into it. We need to make that connection. We need to come up with new ways and new ideas to make life better for those affected by this war, so that kids can go to school, incomes can be sustained, and homes can be both purchased and lived in for a long time. The truth is, we live in deeds, not days; in actions and thoughts and feelings, not heartbeats. If the untimely battlefield deaths of generations of American heroes have taught us nothing else, it should be this unalterable fact: what you do with your time here on earth is far more important than the time you had to do it. Those who live most are those who love most, who act the noblest and do their best." (From Op-Ed Memorial Day 2008, 26 May 2008) Admiral Michael G. Mullen, CJCS. *"Let us all be men and women in full. Let us expect from ourselves more than we think we can give, more than we think we can do and more than we think we already know." (To Army War College Graduates, Carlisle Barracks, PA, 7 June 2008) Admiral Michael G. Mullen, CJCS. http://www.jcs.mil/chairman/speeches/07JUN08_ArmyWarCollege_Commencement.html, CJCS. *"If you listen closely to the voices of our veterans, you understand that yes, they all returned from war changed, but what never changed is this: They never forgot your generosity. They never forgot the power of opportunity. They never forgot the American dream. They want a job; they want their kids to go to school; they’d like an education, a career, a home. They want to make a difference. It is vital for communities throughout the land to be able to join up – in concert with DOD, VA – so that this dream is still possible for them – for those that sacrificed so much. But it goes far beyond what government can do. We must share the burdens of this war – now the longest conflict this nation has faced with an all-volunteer force since the American Revolution. I am convinced that America’s great sea of goodwill can be, in fact, a rising tide … a tide that could lift every veteran and every family of our wounded and fallen." (To Soldiers' Angels Gala, Washington, D.C., 6 November 2008) http://www.jcs.mil/chairman/speeches/06NOV08-CJCS-SoldiersAngels.pdf, CJCS. *"It is a really important place to not go, if we can not go there in any way, shape or form." (On attacking Iran, Washington, D.C., July 2009) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8139655.stm. *"We cannot kill our way to victory." (On NATO in Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., 11 September 2008) Admiral Michael G. Mullen, CJCS http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/09/2008910163836871959.html. Joint Chiefs of Staff George W. Bush (at lectern) announces the nominations of Mullen (second from left) and James Cartwright (far left) to be Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, respectively, on June 28, 2007, at the Roosevelt Room of the White House.]] On June 8, 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced that he would advise President Bush to nominate Admiral Mullen to succeed General Peter Pace as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; President Bush announced the nomination formally on June 28, 2007. On August 3, 2007, the U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Mullen as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Upon taking office, Mullen became the first Navy Admiral to hold the Chairman's position since Admiral William Crowe, who served as Chairman prior to the enactment of the Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986, and was the immediate predecessor to Army General and later Secretary of State Colin Powell. On March 18, 2009, Secretary Gates recommended to President Barack Obama that Mullen be re-nominated for a second term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs.Gates Recommends New Terms, Positions for Senior Officers He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on September 25 2009 and began his second term on October 1, 2009. Senate testimony regarding the Iraq war During Mullen's Senate confirmation hearings for his first term nomination as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mullen identified political progress in Iraq as a critical component of Iraq policy. He noted that, "there does not appear to be much political progress" in Iraq. He also said, "If Iraqis aren't making progress in political realm, the prospects for movement in a positive direction are not very good. Failure to achieve tangible progress toward political reconciliation requires a strategic reassessment." Mullen further told the Senate that the United States needs to "bring as much pressure on political leaders as U.S. possibly can." Regarding the length and scope of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, Mullen told the Senate that while he does not envision permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, "vital interests in the region and in Iraq require a pragmatic, long-term commitment that will be measured in years, not months." Speech to the JINSA on the 2008 Mumbai Attacks On December 8, 2008, Mullen spoke to the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) where he accepted JINSA's "Henry M. Jackson Distinguished Service Award." During his speech, Mullen stated that the November 2008 Mumbai attacks "crossed a new threshold" and that "Their level of tactical sophistication with GPS and Blackberrys and satellite phones matches only the indiscriminate nature of death and destruction they caused - and yet they intended far worse." He stated that "We are working to prevent November 26 from becoming a tipping point toward chaos in the region by confronting once again a common enemy." He also stated that "the images of two-year-old Moshe Holtzberg soon after his parents were mercilessly struck down in Chabad house should not ever leave us."Mullen: Mumbai ‘crossed threshold’, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), December 12, 2008. External links *Joint Chiefs of Staff Web site *Admiral Mike Mullen's Facebook Page *Admiral Mike Mullen's Twitter Feed *Chairman's YouTube Channel *Joint Chiefs Nominee Had Hollywood Upbringing (on Mullen's parents) *Admiral Michael Mullen: A Navy Man Looks Out For The Army Notes References *Official United States Navy biography (from United States Navy Homepage) *Official Longer Version of United States Navy Biography